Charles Gets a Girl
by heartiefever
Summary: Having been turned down be Elisabeth, Charles returns to Hamilton. An act of fate causes him to meet an amazing woman who captures his heart. But things are not all as they seem. What is she hiding from him? Will he chose to love or walk away?


_Setting the stage: This fan fiction piece takes place after the end of season 2. Charles has proposed to Elisabeth, she has said "no" and he leaves and returns to Hamilton._

Charles rushed down the busy street in a hurry to get home from work. He hadn't felt like himself since arriving back from Hope Valley. 'How could Elisabeth turn me down?' 'Have I misunderstood our friendship all these years,' were some of the many questions that plagued his thoughts these days. He loved her so much and wasn't sure that he would ever find another that he cared for like her.

Thud!

"Oh excuse me," apologized Charles to the beautiful young woman he had just plowed into. "I am so sorry I was not watching where I was going."

"It's ok," the young woman smiled.

"I am Charles Kensington," he said with an outstretched hand. "Are you ok? I can get you to a doctor if you are hurt at all?"

"No I am fine," the young woman said with a smile.

"You look very familiar to me. Can I ask your name?" Charles questioned her.

"I'm Charlotte O'Brian," the young woman answered.

"You went to school with Elisabeth Thatcher, right?"

"Yes I did. But please excuse me, I must hurry," Charlotte said nervously while looking on down the street.

"Certainly, yes. Nice to meet you." Charles called after her.

. . .

The next morning Charles awoke to find himself thinking about Charlotte. He remembered Elisabeth and her being friends, but really had not heard much about the girl in the last few years. Of course his work with Elisabeth's dad occupied him so much of the time, or at least he let it occupy him. And with that thought he readied himself for work.

A week later, he was walking in down London Street which housed the shopping neighborhood where he had first ran into Charlotte. He told himself he had a reason to be there, but truthfully he was hoping to see her again. There was something about her. He looked across the street just in time to see her coming out of a dress shop holding a package wrapped in butcher paper. He quickly crossed the street and walked over to greet her.

"Hello Miss O'Brian." "Hello Mr. Kensington."

"It's very nice to run into you again, …well, ...I mean," stumbling for his words, "it's nice to see you again."

Charlotte smiled, "It's nice to see you again too."

"Miss O'Brian if you are not otherwise engaged I would like to ask you if would want to join me for dinner on Saturday night?" Charles asked carefully hoping she would not think he was being too forward since he did not know her very well. But she captivated him; he had to at least try and find out why.

"Umm, yes, yes, that would be nice. Um, but can I meet you there? My family will be hosting a dinner party that evening so it would be very disruptive to be picked up at my house." Charlotte said nervously.

"Yes...sure. If that is better for you." Charles gave Charlotte the address to his favorite French restaurant and they planned to meet there at 6pm on Saturday night. It was still strange to him that she would meet him there. He was a pretty traditional man and it only seemed right and proper to pick her up. But this was what she had asked so he would follow her wishes, at least this time anyway.

. . .

Charles arrived just before 6pm on Saturday night to Café Parisienne. He sported a black suit with a blue checkered tie. The waiter greeted him warmly, "Hello Mr. Kensington. Your table is ready. Follow me."

"Thank you. I am meeting a young woman tonight. Her name is Miss O'Brian. Please show her to my table when she arrives." The waiter nodded and showed Charles to his seat. The table had been prepared just to his specifications. It was a corner table with a view of the river. In the center of the table was a crystal vase with 12 pink roses in it.

After just a few minutes Charlotte arrived and was escorted to Charles' table. She wore a yellow paisley print dress and jacket. It was formal attire like one would wear for a business meeting, but it looked beautiful on her. Her hair was pinned back with ringlets down to the side. She had a small little locket made of gold that hung around her neckline. Charles wondered who might have given her the locket and whose picture might be inside. But that kind of question would be not proper for a first dinner date.

Charles and Charlotte greeted each other. They sat down and began looking at the dinner menu while talking back and forth. At first, conversation came slowly and a bit forced. Charlotte was very guarded and careful with what she shared with Charles. As the evening wore on, she began to relax. Charles took note of the difference in her demeanor. He wondered what caused such changes in her.

They talked about her schooling, and her friendship with Elisabeth. Her father did not believe a woman needed further education passed high school, so unlike Elisabeth, she did not go to upper level education. Charles shared about his work, and his hobbies. Then suddenly Charlotte noticed the time, "Oh my I must be going. I didn't realize how late it had gotten."

Charles didn't think it was particularly late, but it was clear that she felt she needed to go; so he didn't press her to stay. He paid the waiter, and helped Charlotte with her coat. Her green eyes held his. There was so much more about her that he wished he knew. He found himself wishing that the night was not ending. Her eyes seemed to hold a sense of sadness, from what, he did not know.

"Thank you for a wonderful dinner Mr. Kensington," Charlotte said graciously. "You're welcome, Charlotte. I hope I can call you Charlotte, and I hope we can do this again," Charles commented. Charlotte only nodded as she headed out for the evening. Charles had wanted to drive her home, but she insisted that she was fine to get home on her own.

Over the next few months, Charles was able to have dinner dates with Charlotte several times; however, each time she had some reason as to why he could not pick her up or take her home. This plagued him greatly. He had been raised a gentleman and this was a gentleman's daughter. To not treat her in a proper fashion, especially after several dinner dates, seemed unquestionably wrong.

'Tonight's dinner will be different,' Charles told himself on the way to the restaurant. He let Charlotte decide when to leave as he always did, but this time he followed her home. "What else can I do?' He thought to himself. 'I have to know where she lives, and I have to see that she gets home safe. I care about her." That in itself was a revelation to Charles. He was slowly getting passed his years of loving Elisabeth, and now was very much captivated by the beautiful fair skinned, blond headed, green eyed Charlotte. Her eyes could hold his gaze and attention in a way that no woman's had before.

He could share with her his love of his work with Elisabeth's father. She knew he was the top sales man, and she seemed to admire him for his dedication. Together they had talked about his dream of becoming president of the company someday when Mr. Thatcher wanted to retire. She talked about lighter matters such as a book she had been reading, a social event that took place in town, and the latest fashion in dresses. During all of their conversations, she mentioned little about family or what filled her days. While Charles was curious, he assumed she was being guarded like any proper young woman would be.

After walking about 10 blocks, Charles rounded a corner to the Elliott mansion. He watched from behind some evergreen trees as Charlotte went in a side door. He turned back and began to make his way to his car pondering what he had seen. 'Why would Charlotte O'Brian be going in the side door of the Elliott mansion?' Charles thought that was the servants' door. 'Why would she be going in through the servants' door? This just did not make any sense.'

The next day Charles decided to find out what was going on. At the very least, if Charlotte was visiting the Elliott family they should be made aware of his affection for her. He wanted to be honorable with his intentions, and after all, he was a member of society and did not wish to bring shame on himself or Charlotte.

Charles dressed nicely in his blue suit, and stopped by the florist. He picked up some beautiful pink and red roses mixed with baby's breath. He maneuvered his car to the Elliott mansion, down by Burlington Bay. This part of town was so beautiful. Charles hoped to sell his family home someday and move to this area. His family home was in a wonderful part of town as well, but Burlington Bay was the most beautiful part of Hamilton, and that is where he wanted to raise a family.

Charles stood confidently and rang the bell. The butler answered, but was very puzzled when Charles asked to see Charlotte. Charles explained again who he was here to see and finally the butler agreed to show him to Charlotte.

Upon opening the door to the green room, Charles was ushered in. The green room was a beautiful sun porch covered with tile. The detail in which it had been crafted was in evident in every part of the room. The floors, the ceiling, and the walls were all small porcelain tiles arranged just perfectly.

But then Charles' eyes locked onto Charlotte's. His flowers dropped to the floor in shock. He turned and started to walk out of the room feeling like he had been deceived. Charlotte stood up and ran after him.

"Charles! Wait!" she yelled. "I can explain!" She ran after him, but he was in his car and gone before she could begin to tell him anything. Charlotte stood in the driveway with tears flowing down her cheeks as the only man she had ever cared for drove away. The fire in his piercing blue eyes had been clear – he was so angry with her that he would never see her again. With a heavy heart she sighed and turned to reenter the house. No one said a word as she knelt down and began scrubbing the floors.

. . .

About a week later Charles was dining at the Thatcher home. His employer treated him more like a son then an employee, so this was a normal part of his week. Viola was the first to notice Charles' glum mood.

"What's troubling you Charles?" Viola asked.

"Oh…Nothing," Charles answered sternly. He wasn't ready to talk about what had happened. Nor could he really. The Thatcher's, being people of high society, would never look favorably on him courting a maid. But why did she lie to him? How was she a maid now? What had happened to her family? The question still troubled him. He was lost in his thoughts again and barely touching his food.

"Charles don't you like your dinner?" asked Mrs. Thatcher. "Yes, of course ma'am. Thank you." He began trying to focus on eating, but his mind was so distracted. Viola began talking about various happenings in the town, social gatherings, engagements, etc… Charles was thankful for the attention being diverted off of him. Viola was always up to date on the latest social happenings and the latest gossip. He looked down and began trying to concentrate on eating his potatoes, but something Viola said caught his attention.

"I was at the Elliott mansion the other day. You will never believe who I saw?" Viola obviously enjoyed knowing social information before anyone else.

"Who my dear?" Asked her mother.

"I saw Charlotte O'Brian." Viola announced proudly. Charles nearly choked on his food.

"Charles are you ok?" Mrs. Thatcher asked. "Oh yes," Charles said clearing his throat. "Just something stuck in my throat I think," he said trying to cover his obvious surprise to Viola mentioning Charlotte's name by drinking some water. Mrs. Thatcher turned to Viola, "Go on dear, what was she doing there? I haven't heard from her since she and Elisabeth graduated secondary school."

"Well, you will never believe this mother, but she is the governess for the grandchildren when they come to visit and a _maid_ the rest of the time." Viola clearly was proud of her discovery. "Katie Elliott and I were visiting, when she served us tea. I knew I recognized her from among Elisabeth's friends. So, after she left the room, I asked Katie about her. Katie said her father had died about two years before she finished school, which we all knew. But her mother remarried very quickly. Unfortunately, the man was an indebted gambler. Eventually, after her mother died, he gambled away everything including the house that was supposed to be Charlotte's inheritance. Katie said Charlotte's mother really died of a broken heart."

"So how did she end up at the Elliott's?" Enquired Mrs. Thatcher.

"Well," Viola continued, proud of the information she had to offer. "Charlotte had been good friends with Samantha Elliott who was in the same class at school as Elisabeth. Samantha couldn't bear the thought of her living in a poor house. And you know how generous Mr. and Mrs. Elliott are when it comes to their daughters, so they took her in. Basically, she works during the day and is allowed to remain to society a gentleman's daughter when she is not working. Mrs. Elliott did not want Charlotte's reputation destroyed along with all that she had already lost. So Charlotte works hard around the house, but is afforded a lot of freedoms and privileges. But I am sure no one would think of her as a gentleman's daughter any longer since she is a governess and a maid."

"So tragic really, with all that she has gone through." Mrs. Thatcher remarked. The group continued talking, but Charles was once again lost in his thoughts.

It all started to make sense now. This was why she never allowed him to pick her up or take her home. This was why she entered the servants' door. This was why there was so much secrecy. It was all making sense. 'She couldn't tell me the truth about who she was because of all that she had been through,' he thought. Charles tried to focus more on dinner, but his mind kept wondering back to Charlotte. He needed to find a way to confront her. He was still angry that she had lied, but maybe there was more to this and he needed to give her a chance to explain.

. . .

The next weekend he again went to the florist and picked up a mix of her favorite flowers, red and pink roses with baby's breath. He carefully placed them in the car and drove to the Elliott mansion. Mr. Elliott had graciously accepted an appointment with him earlier in the week. He had shared with Mr. Elliott his interest in Charlotte, and asked for his permission to speak with her on the weekend.

He stood in front of the giant door to the Elliott mansion. This time he was very nervous. He had so many questions for Charlotte. He wanted to apologize for the way he acted, but he was still upset that she had lied to him. Trust was such a huge issue in a relationship. He reached forward and rang the bell. The butler answered and showed him to a private sitting room.

The room had a large marble fireplace. It was covered with wood flooring, and an oriental style rug. The walls were painted a delicate pale yellow. Halfway up the walls the wooden wains coating shined a deep mahogany. Charles set down on a high backed dark blue chair. He fixed his gray suit jacket around him and held onto the flowers he had brought for Charlotte.

A few minutes later Mr. Elliott came in and greeted him. "How are you, Charles?" asked Mr. Elliott. Charles stood and shook hands with the older gentleman. "I am well, sir. Thank you for making this meeting possible," Charles commented to Mr. Elliott. "I am only too happy to help. Charlotte's father was an old friend of mine. When he became sick I promised him I would make sure she was always cared for."

"Mr. Elliott, I wanted you to know that I have met with Charlotte on several occasions for dinner. I did not know she was living here with you or I would have talked with you sooner." Charles explained.

"It's ok Charles." Mr. Elliott consoled. Mr. Elliott was a fair, honest, and decent man. He could see Charles had great concern for propriety in this matter.

"Each time I wanted and even pushed to be able to pick her up at home, and to take her home. She would not allow it. There was always a reason, and I did not want to override her wishes." Charles continued.

"How did you find out she was here?" Mr. Elliott inquired.

"I followed her home one night, sir. I saw her use the side entrance and that it was your house. My findings left me with more questions than answers. So, I came back that week to talk with her." Charles answered.

"Ah, you must be the young man Henry was talking about." Mr. Elliott could see the question in Charles eyes. "Henry is our butler. He said a man came to call on Charlotte but found her scrubbing floors and left quickly, seemingly upset."

Charles hung his head. He was ashamed of the way he had treated her that day. He hadn't even given her a chance to speak. "Yes sir, that was me," he stated in a low voice. "I did not treat her right that day and I am sorry for that. Later, I came to find out about her family situation. I knew she must have wanted to tell me when she ran after me that day."

"When she came to live with us, we wanted to take her in as a daughter, but she insisted on serving us in some way to pay her debt to us for rescuing her from what would have been her fate. She still feels a lot of shame over her mother's mistake in marrying her step-father, and of course the fact that he gambled away her family estate. Her step-father was not a good man, and it has caused her a great amount of embarrassment." Mr. Elliott explained more details of Charlotte's living arrangement with his family. He explained that they paid her for her work and took care of her needs, and that he approved of Charles' interest in her.

With that, Charlotte was ushered into the room by Henry. Mr. Elliott left quietly through a side door. He could see there was much the two needed to say to each other. Charles picked up the flowers and handed them to her. "Charlotte, I am sorry that I took off the other day. I should have given you a chance to speak. If you can forgive me, I would still like to hear what you have to say."

Charles sat back down in the blue high-backed chair. He motioned to Charlotte to sit on the settee perpendicular to him. She moved quietly over and sat down. There was silence between them for what seemed like hours. Henry entered to bring them tea.

"Mr. Kensington, I am sorry I deceived you like I did." Charlotte said breaking the silence between them. She started to rise to leave. He reached out and touched her arm. "Please sit back down. I want to talk with you." Charles asked.

"Charlotte, I will be honest with you…I was angry that day because I thought you had lied to me about who you were. Then a few days later I was having dinner at the Thatcher home. Viola had recently visited Katie Elliott and learned of the tragic circumstances you had endured. I felt horrible for not giving you the chance to explain your reason in being here. So, I contacted Mr. Elliott who shared more with me about the reason I found you the way that I did that day." Charles explained. "Charlotte, I want to understand why you lied to me? Why did you not share the truth?"

Charlotte looked up at him, her green eyes full of the tears she was fighting to hold back. "Would you still have wanted to pursue a courtship if you had known?" Her question hung in the air. Charles knew she had a point. He probably would not have risked such a relationship with someone who had been part of a scandalous situation in society.

"You are probably right. I would not have." He paused and then his blue eyes met hers, "but I want to pursue one now." She locked eyes with him again. "Really? You still want to call on me after everything you know about me?" He answered her confidently, "yes I do. What happened to you was not your fault. I just want you to tell me the truth. No more lies." His answer was calm but stern. Charlotte looked at him with a smile and a tear flowing down her cheek, "yes Charles. No more lies, just the truth."

Charles reached over and took her hand. They sat talking for the next 2 hours while their tea in their cups grew cold. Mr. Elliott looked on from the next room. "Mr. O'Brian, your little girl is going to be alright," he whispered. Mr. Elliott smiled as he returned to his office.

Epilogue:

Over the next few months, Charlotte quit being a servant in the Elliott home. She took the place Mr. and Mrs. Elliott had wanted her too of a daughter. Charles courted her properly with the Elliott's blessing. Then one day in late March, Charles came to ask for her hand. In June, in the back garden of the Elliott mansion, Charlotte O'Brian became Charlotte Kensington. Her husband had a special surprise for her that evening. After the celebration, the driver carefully drove to River Drive Road and turned into number 15. Charlotte looked at her new husband in confusion. "I bought it for you my dear. I bought your home for you as a wedding gift." Charles watched as she looked in awe, and tears flowed down her face. Charles had bought Charlotte's family home back and given it to her as a wedding present. She threw her arms around him and hugged him. "Oh Charles, thank you! Thank you so much! You have no idea what this means to me." And with that the new Mr. and Mrs. Kensington walked into their new home.


End file.
